County Information

County Courthouse

Probate Judge has marriage, divorce, probate and land records County Health Department has birth, death and burial records Clerk Circuit Court has court records [1]

Description

The County was named is in honor of Major General Baron Johan DeKalb, a hero of the American Revolution. The County has Fort Payne as its seat and the County was created January 9, 1836. [2]The County is located in the north east area of the state.[3]

Church Records

Church records and the information they provide vary significantly depending on the denomination and the record keeper. They may contain information about members of the congregation, such as age, date of baptism, christening, or birth; marriage information and maiden names; and death date. For general information about Alabama denominations, view the Alabama Church Records wiki page.

Court Records

Land and Property

Land and property records can place an ancestor in a particular location, provide economic information, and reveal family relationships. Land records include: deeds, abstracts and indexes, mortgages, leases, grants and land patents.

See Alabama Land and Property for additional information about early Alabama land grants. After land was transferred to private ownership, subsequent transactions were usually recorded at the county courthouse, where records are currently housed.

To place a grant or deed on a map within context of DeKalb County, Alabama Genealogy see:

Boyd, Gregory A. Family Maps of DeKalb County, Alabama: with Homesteads, Roads, Waterways, Towns, Cemeteries, Railroads, and More. Norman, Okla.: Arphax Pub. Co., 2007. This is a definitive work and can be used as an index to land grants. Digital version at HistoryGeo.com ($). Website includes free surname index. FHL Book 976.166 E7b.

Local Histories

Local histories are available for DeKalb County, Alabama Genealogy. County histories may include biographies, church, school and government history, and military information. For more information about local histories, see the wiki page section Alabama Local Histories.

Maps

Military

Civil War

Civil War service men from DeKalb County served in various regiments. Men often joined a company (within a regiment) that originated in their county. Listed below are companies or regiments that were formed from men of DeKalb County.

Probate Records

Probate records are held by the DeKalb County, Alabama Genealogy Probate Court. Most records are housed at the DeKalb County, Alabama Genealogy Courthouse. Many records are on microfilm at the Family History Library.

Taxation

Alabama tax records complement land records and can be used to supplement the years between censuses. There may be gaps of several years in the tax records of some counties. For more information, see the wiki page Alabama Taxation.

1865-1866 - U.S. IRS Tax Assessment Lists, 1862-1918 at Ancestry ($). DeKalb County is in District 3.

1850-1858, 1862-1901, 1936–1969Alabama, Marriage Collection, 1800–1969 at Ancestry $. This collection is comprised of indexes created by several agencies - the Alabama Center for Health Statistics, Jordan Dodd of Liahona Research, and Hunting For Bears.

1850-1900"Alabama Marriages, 1809–1920" at Ancestry $. This database is a collection of marriage records from the state. Researchers will find the names of both bride and groom along with the marriage date. The county where the ceremony was performed is also provided. Containing about 150,000 records and the names of nearly 300,000 men and women.

Death

1881–1974Index to Deaths and Burials at Ancestry $. Volunteers extracted the details in this index from microfilmed copies of church, civil, family, and other records of Alabama deaths and burials. details vary depending on the original record. Note that the number of available records can vary widely by county, and this database does not necessarily represent a comprehensive set of death records for the state during this time.

Family History Centers

Family history centers provide one-on-one assistance and free access to premium genealogical websites. In addition, many centers have free how-to genealogy classes. See family history center for more information. Search the online FHC directory for a nearby family history center.